What’s The Biggest Weather Story Of 2004?: Vote! I’m guessing most will say it was one of the four hurricanes that hit Florida, but there were other big weather stories that unfolded this year. I chose 20 of them (and have now reduced that number to 10), and placed the poll in the right column. All of the stories were covered in this blog. Please take a moment to cast your vote!

Meteorologist Moves On: Since Jan. 1999, KXAS-TV (NBC 5) Meteorologist Krista Villarreal has been forecasting the ever-changing Texas weather, but she will soon take on new challenges as the weekday morning meteorologist at the NBC station in Pittsburgh, Pa., WPXI. More details and message board here… Krista let me snap the included photo from the NBC 5 Weather Center set on Wednesday. The image links to a larger version. Have fun forecasting in Pittsburgh!

Hard Freeze Brings N. Texas Fall Foliage To End: Temperatures in the mid-20s early Wednesday put an end to most of the especially colorful fall foliage in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. I did manage to get one final shot of a tree that I thought was colorful, especially in contrast to the tree behind it. The picture on the right was taken Monday afternoon on East Lancaster west of Loop 820. As usual, the image links to a larger version.

2004 Fourth-Hottest On Record:2004 Among the Hottest Years on Record The year 2004, punctuated by four powerful hurricanes in the Caribbean and deadly typhoons lashing Asia, was the fourth-hottest on record, extending a trend since 1990 that has registered the 10 warmest years, a U.N. weather agency said Wednesday.

Still Building:Scientists Amazed At Mount St. Helens’ Growing Dome: An unusually smooth and swiftly growing lava dome within the crater of Washington state’s Mount St. Helens volcano is an extraordinary and perplexing event with an unknown outcome, geologists said Tuesday.